From 2016 to 2020, ten smaller schools in one regional library consortium participated in a user needs assessment project. This article documents the process for implementing a collaborative user needs assessment by utilizing the shared interest and enthusiasm of a team of librarians to create a consortial toolkit. The toolkit supplied direction…

This study examined how Chief Information Officers (CIOs), also known as Information Technology leaders, understand the use of technology as a strategy for reducing academic costs in small, private, liberal arts colleges in New England. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight CIOs throughout small, private, liberal arts colleges in…

Smaller, private, independent institutions of higher education across the United States are facing challenging times. This white paper by Edwin H. Welch, president of the University of Charleston, shares lessons gleaned from the institution's innovative efforts over almost 30 years. Welch's hope is that the experiences at the University of…

A consortium of 12 small, private liberal arts colleges in the Great Lakes region has shown that by working together, the institutions can provide major opportunities for faculty professional development through conferences and workshops. (MSE)

The Atlanta University Center, Inc., a consortium of six institutions (Clark, Morehouse, Morris Brown, Spelman, Atlanta University, and Interdenominational Theological Center) represents the world's largest nucleus of Black private higher education. Its background and the problems faced in dealing with each institution's desire for autonomy are…

Six papers explore the liberal arts institution's opportunities to improve teacher education to meet society's intensified demands within the limitations faced by liberal arts institutions. The many advantages such institutions can offer in preparation of teachers, the collaborative efforts institutions can engage in to improve their programs, and…

The report describes the Appalachian College Assessment Project, which developed a consortium to assess cooperatively the outcomes of the general education programs of a group of private liberal arts colleges in central Appalachia. Evaluation methods included a freshman/senior essay, the Academic Profile, the Pace College Student Experiences…

This paper offers a brief history and description of a voluntary consortium of six church-related private colleges, the Associated Colleges of Central Kansas (ACCK), that is governed by a board of directors made up of the presidents of the member colleges. The schools, all within close geographical proximity, have a combined enrollment of over…